Pure At Heart
by MauMeow1
Summary: Katha is a Pure One, determined to purify all owls. Raised to be cruel and merciless, what will happen when the Pure Ones lead an attack on the Great Ga'Hoole Tree and Katha is faced with a choice between the Pure Ones and an owl she has fallen in love with? (Rated T for violence. The only "cursing" is in Hoolian.)
1. Prologue: The Owlet

**Hello readers! Still reading? This is my first Guardians fic. It is set after The Shattering while the Pure Ones are still at large.**

_Prologue: The Owlet_

The little owlet shivered. It had been a while since she'd seen her parents. She had opened her eyes only a few nights before, but she was already looking forward to her first meat ceremony.

The sky was becoming a deep shade of gray and violet, night was coming to an end! _Where are my mum and da? _she wondered.

Suddenly a terrible shrieking filled the air.

"We won't give her to you!" shreed her mum outside, it was the first time the young owl had heard the scream of her species, and she didn't like it one bit.

_Mum_, she wanted to ask, _What's going on? Where's da?_

Brown feathers flashed outside the hollow. She whimpered as she recognized her mother's back. It was stained with blood. Another barn owl was fighting her mum. His talons were long, sharp, and glistening, they had to be made of metal.

The little owlet pressed herself against the soft feathers she slept in, terror in her dark eyes. There was a final shriek, and her mother fell in a heap of blood and feathers.

The barn owl with talons of metal flew into her hollow.

The Owlet trembled, "P-p-please..."

The barn owl smiled at her, but the expression on his beak was little more than a cruel sneer. "I see there are some of pure blood here, unlike those frinking traitors you call your parents."

"T-th-their not..."

"I'll bring you to Metalbeak and Nyra," he said, "Come and meet the Pure Ones."

The owlet wilfed, this was the owl that had killed her mum and da!

"Who are you?" she squeaked.

"I'm a soldier of the Pure Ones, we're _tyto albas _the most superior of all owl species."

"W-what? But you're a barn owl too," she said.

"No," he corrected her, "_You _are too. That means _you _are better than them. Come and meet the high tyto, we can purify all owls!"

_He killed mum...he killed my parents..._the little owlet stopped shaking, _Pure Ones...purifying all owls! I can _do _that!_

"O-okay," she said shakily, "Bring me to the high tyto!"


	2. Chapter One: Two Years Later

**First of all, I owe a huge sorry to everyone who wanted to see more of this fic earlier. I've ben spending half of my time on my computer slaving over my Fantasy story The Phoenix Song on Fictionpress (You know you want to check it out now! JK JK) I removed Mossystone's story because, if you haven't read it, it's pretty bad compared to what I've been working on on other sites.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Guardians series or anything in it. The three owls in this chapter are mine, though. I won't sue if you use them, trust me.**

_Chapter One: Two Years Later..._

The barn owl churred as she snapped at the mouse again.

The little rodent let out another cry as it ran across the ground. The owl's wings flashed across the dark night sky. Brown and pale, her feathers could easily be spotted by another nocturnal bird. She didn't care that she had already had her breaklight or that she could have killed the mouse long ago. She needed _something _to practice her skills on.

"Katha!"

Katha misjudged her third blow, killing her prey with one swipe of her talons. Her black eyes glittered like a very frustrated night sky as she swiveled her head around to see who had distracted her.

"Aw, racdrops, Ava." Katha ruffled her feathers as she watched the darker barn owl start to land.

"Dirt told me you were out getting a snack," Ava said innocently, "I've known that frinking sooty long enough to know he'd never lie to me."

"He wouldn't lie to any barn owl!" Katha snapped.

Ava churred, the sound was much gentler than what emitted from her friend's throat when she was amused, but it was also a bit more malicious.

"Well? Were you?" she asked.

"Of course." Katha picked up her mouse and added, "But you always have to keep your skills sharp."

"Perfectionist," Ava muttered, preparing to take off again. "The sun's rising, Kath, I think it's time we head back. And...you'll see later."

"Offay," Katha said, her beak full of the mouse.

Ava and Katha both flew off into the sky, fading stars their only companions as they flew towards the Tytonic Union's current base. Their soft wing-beats were steady and fast until they spotted a masked owl below them.

"Ava! Katha!" the speckled owl exclaimed. The flaps of his wings seemed rushed as he flew unsteadily through the air towards them.

"Oh..." Ava faked a happy tone. "Hey, Capen."

The masked owl slowed down as he neared the to barn owls. "Just looking for you two."

"I can take care of myself," Katha sighed, "And Ava can too."

"I know," Capen said hurriedly, "I just wanted to know where you were."

Without another word Ava and Katha stole glances at each other. _Lose the freak_, Katha pleaded with her eyes. Ava turned away from Capen. "We'd like to talk but...um...we have to get back by sunrise."

"Yeah!" Katha added enthusiastically, "And it's almost sunrise so...bye!"

She rammed into Ava as she left in a bit of a hurry. Ava let out a small croak of surprise before flying just as fast. The two owls couldn't help leaving a certain feeling of awkwardness as they flew the scene.

Once Capen was a small dot in the bright distance, Katha took her mouse into her claws and turned to Ava. "Are you blind?" she growled, "I've seen how many times that owl has tried to fliv with you."

"Please," Ava groaned sarcastically "If I ever find a mate he's going to be a barn owl."

"I really do hope we get back in time to sleep. I haven't had a good sleep in ages." Katha yawned to empathize her point.

"You've been polishing your battle claws the whole time, huh?" Her friend smiled.

Katha glared at her for a second. "We're Pure Ones, aren't we? We have a job to do here. Once the owl kingdoms are cleansed of foolish impurity we can worry about flirting with barn owls."

Ava looked at Katha seriously. "You know, Katha, you're right about this war against impurity. It's up to us, isn't it?"

The two owls watched each other's faces grimly, both trying to comprehend how big the cause they were fighting for was.

Then the two barn owls burst out laughing and resumed their usual chatter as they flew home.


	3. Chapter Two: Hatching Her Plan

_Chapter Two: Hatching Her Plan_

Katha's been opened in a silent shriek. Wings flapped and her eyelids fluttered as her dream turned dark.

She was going yeep over a sea. No, it wasn't a sea. It was...Hoolemere...Blood. The water turned thicker and red as she struggled. The churring of an unseen owl shook her rattled body. The talons of an icy owl raked down her back in chills. She raised her claws, her battle claws. There were no waves. The sea slowly turned to a cloud of masked attackers.

"Get up! Katha! Get up..."

Someone else was shoving her from side to side. Another foe rose from the bloody water to strike her down. Katha raised her wings to shield her now red face from the blow...

"GET UP YOU FRINKING IDIOT!" Ava exclaimed, nearly shoving Katha off her perch with a smack from her foot.

"What..." Katha blinked open her eyes. "Ava?"

"Yes, Katha?" Ava snapped sarcastically.

"What happened?" her friend asked.

"Well, you nearly woke every owl from here to Kuneer with your screaming!" Ava exclaimed in an annoyed voice.

"Sorry," Katha murmured and started preening. She could feel Ava's confused eyes on her as she ran her beak over her secondary feathers. Ignoring her friend, she turned away from Ava like she was getting tired. By the time she had reached her coverts Ava was asleep.

She didn't feel like sleeping. Keeping her wings even quieter than usual, Katha flew down to the hidden hollow where she kept her battle claws.

The reflection from the metal shined in her black eyes. The metal claws were beautiful and haunting to the young barn owl. Only a few months ago she had used them like many owls before her. The shadows created the illusion of blood on the tips.

Katha suddenly felt like yarping up a pellet. _Oh Glaux! _she thought, _Don't let me be sick on my battle claws!_

Nudging them until the the disturbing image was only a memory, she felt content to know these had been on the feet of her mother before her.

_Yes_, she remembered what the supreme tyto had told her, _My poor parents. They were such loyal members of the Pure Ones, she told me. How sad they were killed by those...those lying, sprinking Guardians._

Rage destroyed every bit of her that once felt queasy. The yearning for revenge gnawed away at the owl's gizzard. _Those faking liars! I'll _die _before I see them win a battle._

Katha's eyes danced with giddy delight in the thought of death. Blood no longer frightened her as she remembered the terrible things Nyra had said the Guardians had done to her family. A blood-lust to strong for one owl slowly crept into her thoughts.

"I'll destroy you," she muttered to herself, "I'll wait until my last gasp to admit defeat."

"K-Katha?" Ava said, "Where..."

Katha flew back to the hollow she and Ava shared. The battle claws laid silently on the floor like a shattered owl.

"Just...just getting some air," Katha yawned, returning to her perch.

Ava glared at her. "You sure you're okay, Katha?"

Katha nodded against her will. She couldn't admit her desire for revenge to her friend yet. She couldn't admit it to anyone. She had plans to make.

She had plans to hatch.

**I know that was short like the prologue, but I didn't want anything else to happen in this chapter and too much fluff gets sort of boring after a while. Does anyone else think Katha is on the road to insanity? (My Sis said that about her.)**


	4. Chapter Three: Flight

_Chapter Three: Flight _

Katha opened her eyes feeling strange. She didn't remember going back to sleep during the day.

"Katha," Ava said gently and rocked her, "You have to come with me?"

"What?" Katha asked drowsily, "What's going on."

"There's an owlet!" Ava bounced a bit on her perch as she said this. The moon was rising behind her. Katha glanced from her friends face to the moon. _Really? _she wondered, _A new owlet? Why don't I feel exited..._

"Come on, Katha!" Ava sprang up, her wings flapping with excitement even though she wasn't flying.

Katha flew after her friend with a sigh. The night was much cooler than the one before; it felt good to stretch her wings again in the fair weather. The appearing stars looked like holes to gluamora above.

"Has it had its tupsy?" Katha asked Ava.

"Him," she replied, "It's a him. And no, I suppose they can always have him kill a sooty."

"No dirt," Katha churred, "You looo-"

Ava smacked her "Shut up. I don't care about a stupid lesser sooty."

They landed near another hollow. Katha let her curiosity get the best of her and peeked inside first. An older barn owl chick with his flight feathers almost completely in was still sleeping inside. His beak rested softly in his chest-feathers, something about the bird seemed younger than he really was.

"Hey, Sammy!" Ava lightly hit him with her wing.

The owlet opened his eyes to glare at her. "Don't call me that! I'm going to get a _real _name soon."

"Fine, whatever. This is Katha," she said, swiveling her head towards her.

"Hi." Sammy/No Name relaxed a bit.

Katha yawned. "Is anyone up for a flight."

"Me!" Ava volunteered.

Sammy just stood there looking nervous. "Why don't we get to know each-other more, like, on the ground."

Katha sighed. "First of all, were in a tree. Second, are you _scared _of flying? You already have all your feathers, for Glaux's sake!"

Sammy glowered at her. "I'm perfectly capable of flying."

Katha churred, "Really, Sam?"

Ava joined her, making the younger owl angrier.

Finally, he couldn't take it. Sammy hopped past Katha and Ava and spread his wings. "You can't even touch me!" he shrieked, starting to fly.

"Nice one," Ava said to Katha before following him. Katha watched them both go before taking off herself.

After they had gained altitude, Katha moved up to Ava. "Do you think he has what it takes for a special ceremony?" she asked quietly.

"Of course he does!" Ava whispered, "His da already killed his uncle, he probably doesn't care about killing enemies."

"What if it's not an enemy he has to kill?" her friend hissed.

"It's not like they're going to use _us_," Ava retorted, "Just relax."

Sammy flew closer to the other barn owls, clearly enjoying one of his first flights. "Everyone keeps talking about my special ceremony," he said, "What do I have to do?"

"You'll see," Katha said, "The important thing is that you do it. Once you do you become a true member of the Tytonic Union. It's a great honor, Sam. Plus you're going to get a _real _name soon."

Sammy still looked weary. "I know what I said earlier, but I guess Sammy isn't a bad name. What if I get a crummy one like Dirt or Mud-face?"

"That's only for the sooties," Katha assured him and smiled, "They're less pure than us, though I suppose they can't do much about it than fight to purify all owls."

"What was your name before you got Katha?" he asked her, flying a little higher.

"I..." Katha paused. "I don't know. My parents were killed by the Guardians when I was a week old. Probably a stupid one."

"Do you know what Ava's was?" he pressed.

"Stella or something like that," she answered, "Trust me, you'll like your new one much better."

They flew for a while in silence, each bird hatching his or her own plans. Sammy's was to get a good name and make his mum and da proud. Ava's was to get to know both of them better. And Katha's was to finally get revenge on the owls that had killed her parents.

"Winds are getting stronger!" Ava called from ahead of them.

"Maybe we should go back..." Katha started.

"I want to work more on my flying!" Sammy protested.

The three owls continued to fly even as the winds picked up. Proud of himself for being so bold, Sammy flew higher than both other owls to Katha's dismay.

"Sammy!" Ava shreed, "Be careful!"

"This is GREAT!" Sammy cried back from above them. His wings were flapping carelessly and his eyes were filled with delight in his new skills.

Katha screamed words that were lost in the wind as a great gust of wind smacked her in the back like a bear paw. She heard Ava shrieking in terror, Sammy shouting something, and the desperate flaps of her own wings as she tried to right herself.

She was falling. Why was she falling? She wanted to soar above, to fly, but something was tearing her down. Something that wasn't real was pulling her towards the earth. Katha gasped...it was her fear. _I'm going yeep_, she thought, _I'm going to die. I'll never have revenge! I'll never make my parents in glaumora proud! I'll never..._

Katha breathed. She was...flying. "I'm not yeep! I'm not going yeep!" she cried triumphantly.

"Sammy!"

Katha's senses suddenlt tuned up by a thousand times as she heard Ava scream. She flew down as fast as she could. Ignoring her fear of impact, she landed hard on the ground.

Blood. It was covered with blood.


	5. Chapter Four: Broken Owl

_Chapter Four: Broken Owl_

"K-Katha?" Sammy glanced up at her.

"Oh, thank Glaux! You're alive!" Katha shreed. At first she had thought the lump of red and feathers was as dead as the stones around her.

Sammy tried to get up. One of his wings was limp and red. "I...I can't move my port wing."

Ava looked at Katha. "What do we do?"

Katha looked from Ava to Sammy to her bloodstained feet. "I...I don't know!"

"Do something!" Ava snarled at her angrily.

Katha glared at her and grabbed a clump of Sammy's feather's in her claws. "You grab his good wing and we can fly back to the base with him.

Ava nodded and dug her talons into his starboard wing and flapped hers with all her might. Katha did as well, the sickly feeling slowly growing in her stomach. _What is Sammy dies before he even kills someone or...or gets a Tytonic Union name? _I _was the one who convinced him to fly, didn't I? No, no he wanted to fly in the winds. It's _his_ OWN fault!_

"Katha!" Ava called, "Um, we're here."

_Sprink his foolish tail feathers! _Katha thought. "Do you...do you think we got here in time?"

Sammy flapped his right wing weakly. "I'm still alive."

"What do we do?" Ava cried, starting to panic.

"Find Gardenia!" Katha shrieked, her own wings flapping wildly.

"Calm down, both of you!" Sammy tried to shout.

"What's going on?"

Ava looked up and spotted Caden flying towards them. Their partner's eyes were wide with surprise and confusion. Ava kept panicking as if she didn't know the masked owl was there, and Katha figured she probably didn't.

"Sammy crashed while we were flying!" she cried to him.

Caden looked at the three of them in confusion. "Who?"

"New Pure One," Katha gasped. "Go find Gardenia! Please!"

The masked owl looked at Sammy's grave situation and nodded. "I'll go get her."

Ava was still standing over the fallen owl. She looked like she was going to explode with fear and guilt. Katha opened her beak to say something to her friends but no sound came out. It was almost painful for her to look at her own scarlet-tinted feathers. It reminded her of her dream, of her only memory from her early days, the bloody one...

"Sam? Ava? Katha! What's teh racdrops is going on here?" a shrill voice screamed from behind them.

"She...close...help..." panted Caden, pushing Gardenia over to them.

Katha tried not to look at the older grass owl. She'd gotten in huge trouble a few months ago for charging into a swarm of enemies. Gardenia had thrown a fit when she came back covered in wounds.

"We were flying!" Ava blurted out. _Curse you! _thought Katha.

"What?" Gardenia screamed, her voice getting even higher. "Sammy only started flying a few weeks ago! What was going through your sprinking, foolish, rotted minds - "

"Please, Gardenia," Katha said. "We'll tell you everything later. Just _please _fix him."

Cold eyes rested on Ava and Katha. "You will explain _everything _very _soon. _But yes, Katha, I suppose your friend doesn't have much time if he's going to fly again."

Ava's eyes widened. "You mean he might not - "

"Get away, Ava!" Gardenia pushed past her. "Or he might not live!"

...

Katha couldn't sleep. Even though she hadn't eaten anything she felt like yarping a pellet. The night was over. How could it be over?

"Katha," Ava said softly as she flew into their hollow, "Gardenia said he's...he's getting worse. B-but she thinks he'll make it till next night."

_He's getting worse. _Katha's eyes didn't meet Ava's. They saw nothing but her blood crusted talons. _He's getting worse and I feel nothing. Glaux cannot help me now. I feel nothing!_

She heard Ava sigh and land on her perch. Her hollow bones quaked as her gizzard seemed to freeze over as if it were stone.

_My fault...my fault..."too scared?" my fault...my fault..."They killed them, Katha."...Blood splattered..._How odd. She didn't recall being there when Sammy crashed. Was it Sammy? Why were there battle claws. Why did she fell so...so small? So helpless..._"Why? Why?"...grief, sadness...nothing...my fault..my fault..._

Katha's questions were lost in the river of thoughts as they stormed her head.

Before she knew it, she was asleep.

...

"Foolish owl."

Katha yawned. She blinked, one with two eyelids, twice with her third.

"Gardenia!" she cried as she recognized the dark owl. "Is Sammy - "

"He's going to live," Gardenia assured her, "But I think there's something you should..."

Ava looked at the grass owl with anguish. "He'll...he'll be able to fly, won't he?"

Gardenia sighed. Her eyes were as sad as Ava's. "I don't know, Ava. The Pure Ones have no use for a broken owl, no matter how sad it is."

Katha's gizzard suddenly awakened with rage. "HE'S NOT A BROKEN OWL YOU! SPRINK YOUR STUPID MATTERS!"

Both Ava and Gardenia gaped at what she'd just shouted. Excluded from the more proper owl families, both Pure Ones were use to an occasional curse. But the way the barn owl had let her temper fly with with such a terrible insult was unbelievable.

"You," Gardenia snarled with equal anger, "Have NO idea what _my _life is, Katha. I am a Pure One. I don't suppose you share my goals, do you?"

Katha's chest heaved. She was terrified with how she'd shouted at the older owl. "Yes, Gardenia. It's just...I told him to...I shouldn't...I just can't...he's NOT a _broken owl_. You have to fix him, Gardenia. How will I..."

Gardenia's glare softened a bit. She put a wing on Katha. "You are a warrior, Katha. How will he fight if he's a...a cripple. How will a flightless owl even live? We can't afford to feed him if he can't even _fight."_

Ava kept staring at Gardenia. Her beak was open like she wanted to scream. Katha could see the sorrow overwhelming her black eyes. Her temper couldn't compare to Ava's growing grief.

"Gardenia," Katha asked, "Can we see him."

"Yes, Katha." Gardenia turned and beckoned them to follow. "Do not regret what has happened, I warn you. You will wish to."

Ava followed them despite her shock. Katha couldn't help but feel sad for both Sammy and Ava. How they continue if one of them couldn't fly?

Her wings sagged and she remembered the little pledge she had made up. _I am a Pure One. I am a barn owl, the purest of all owl species. I vow to destroy the impure. The others shall be weakened, the purest shall rise. I stand with my friends for their blood is pure as well. Always will I honor this linage, by Glaux and glaumora I swear._

_..._

"Katha? Ava?" Sammy looked up at them from the bed of grass and leaves Gardenia had made.

"Sammy!" Ava seemed ecstatic to see him alive. Her eyes brightened to see her new friend recovering.

Katha landed next to him, her legs were shking as she bent them.

"Sammy," she gulped, "Gardenia...she said you were a...a..."

His eyes became blank and sad as he gazed into hers. She swore Sammy had wilfed when she spoke to him.

"I am a broken owl, Katha. I know it already. I'll never touch the moon like you or Ava. I'll never see the stars from up in the sky again. Will glaumora even let a cripple in?"

Katha's eyes became scared and as sad as Sammy's. "We're all healed in glaumora, Sammy. I swear, if I have to..."

"You'll swear nothing." He smiled weakly. "I was stupid and I'm paying for it. This is my curse, Katha."

"No," she snapped, "No, no, no. You're not a - "

"I'm a broken owl."

_Yes_, thought Katha, _But so am I. I'm broken as a ground creature. I never had a past. I only had the Tytonic Union. I'll have revenge. I'll make them pay. But I will never be whole._

_You are a broken owl, Sammy._

_But so am I._


End file.
